Light Up Your Life

A house or any particular room can be carefully planned, well thought out and perfectly executed but without the proper lighting it never really comes to life. A perfect example is a tile back splash in a kitchen. Without some nice under cabinet lighting to show it off it never really reaches it's potential as an eye opener.

As you plan each room there are three basic forms of lighting. General Lighting - which is the light you need in a room to function. A means to safely navigate the room in the dark of night. Accent Lighting - light that highlights a particular item or items of importance to you or the room design. Task lighting - light that serves a function related to a particular task or area where work is performed.

A kitchen benefits most from all three forms of lighting in most cases. Recessed lighting combined with a pendant or two and possibly a ceiling fan can provide the general lighting. Under cabinet lighting serves two functions. It acts as Task lighting for working on the countertop as well as Accent lighting to highlight that beautiful countertop and back splash. Additional accent lighting can be added in glass cabinets, which really brings them to life. In some cases where crown molding is installed and there is space above some cove lighting can create a wonderful effect and ambience to a room.

In a living room a couple of well placed wall washers can turn an fireplace wall that seemed ordinary into a piece of art. Perhaps you are planning on a wall to display photos or a collection of art posters. Wouldn't it be nice to light that independently and show it off? Along with the lighting, the way in which they are switched is almost as important. A room with 9 recessed lights that all come on at once lacks forethought.

In any room by breaking the lights that are switched into sections or patterns and through the use of dimmers, a room can take on many personalities and moods. When considering switches it is also important to consider traffic flow through the house. There is nothing worse than a setup where you have to go back and turn a light off only to proceed in the dark. With the proper planning and use of 3 way and 4 way switches the house can be so much more user friendly.

Paul Forte has over 25 years of experience in the electrical field and specializes in lighting and design. For more useful tips, information, photos and products please visit

http://www.forteelectric.com

More resources:

RELATED ARTICLES

Choosing a Home Construction or Remodeling Contractor
Choosing the right Contractor is the most important aspect of any home construction project. You must take your time and do your research to find a good qualified contractor if you want excellent quality at a fair price.

Deck Design - Why Firm Foundations Are Essential
Preparing a deck design for your backyard is all the rage as a home improvement project for this summer, however there is great temptation to build a pallet like structure that just sits on the ground outside your back door.Yes there are many ways to prepare the ground so that an unconnected deck design structure will sit level to the ground, for example by using concrete slabs in four corners.

Are You In or Out of Balance?
CLUTTER: When clutter starts to accumulate in an environment, imbalance in our personal, professional and social lives always follows. This can range from health and financial challenges to struggle and conflict with friends, family, co workers, affiliates, as well as with buyers and sellers.

House Plans - Research Is Key
When you think about building your new home consider your needs and your lifestyle. If you are newlyweds your choices will be different from a couple who is ready to retire and is looking for a smaller home.

Clearing the Air on What to Look for in an Air Purifier
If you are dedicated to improving the indoor air quality of your home, you're aware that there are certain steps you need to take to reduce the amount of allergens and airborne particles. Two of these, source control and ventilation, you may have already addressed.

Electrical Savings System; Save up to 40% on Your Electric Bill Every Month
Once a month there's an electric bill coming in the mail with your name on it. For the next week, it's telling the kids to shut the lights off when you're done, And most of the time, you turn them off yourself.

10 Things You Can Do Now To Prepare For Hurricane Season
The 2005 hurricane season is right around the corner and runs for six months from June 1, 2005 to November 30, 2005. According to a recent survey from the National Hurricane Survival Initiative, the residents in hurricane prone states -- from Maine to Texas -- aren't anywhere near prepared for what they might face.

Motion Detector Technology
Motion detectors are in use all around us in both residential and commercial locations. There are many common uses for motion detectors that most people find convenient and helpful in very common, everyday situations, and there will be some new and innovative uses that we may see more and more of in the future.

Buyers Guide To Heavy-Built Mailboxes
If you are tired of replacing your mailbox every few months due to vandals or just poor quality construction, you need a heavy-built mailbox. Some of the more common reasons for purchasing a heavy-built mailbox are destruction by vandals, snowplow or street sweeper damage, or just a poorly built mailbox that will not stand up to harsh or extreme weather conditions.

Bamboo Flooring Is Taking The Design World By Storm
Are you looking for something different for your house? Maybe you do not want to be like all of your neighbors and you want to stand out from the crowd? Alternatively, perhaps you simply need a flooring option that will stand up to a lot of wear and tear and you like the natural look? Whatever your reasons are, bamboo flooring is a hot new trend in the interior design world and for good reason.The Benefits Of Bamboo FlooringThe three main reasons to use bamboo flooring are very simple.

Lighting and your Kitchen - How to Design a Lighting Plan that Cooks!
Your kitchen, more than any other room in your home, needs a good well thought out lighting plan. Today's kitchens have many more functions than just cooking a meal.

How To Identify A Quality Interior Shutter
1. Shutters have proper louver tensionThe shutters louvers should be smooth and stay in the desired position throughout the lifetime of the shutter.

Light Up Your Kitchen with the Right Lighting!
The proper lighting in a room can make or break it. With lighting, you can create a soft, cozy room for reading and relaxing.

Clear Wax Candles vs. Gel Candles
In the last five years a new type of clear candle has emerged - freestanding resin-based (aka clear wax) candles. Using a base of mineral oil, the candle uses a patented resin as the stabilizer, creating a candle that outshines both traditional paraffin and gel candles.

Basement Waterproofing Advice
Basements need to be waterproofed for many reasons. Cracks in the walls, leaking windows and pipe condensation are probably the most common reasons basements have water build-up problems.

What is Injection Waterproofing?
Injection waterproofing is often used to fill and seal cracks and crevices. The material is most often made from a polyurethane compound.

Home Inspection: A Doctor Visit for Your Home
Has your house had a check up yet?Home inspection is like a visit to the doctor for your home. The home inspector will give your home a physical from top to bottom.

How To Give Your Home More Space
Have you been wondering how to free up space in your home? Do you live in a dorm or an efficiency where every inch of space counts?Maybe you're tired of trying to come up with ideas on how to reduce the clutter? Or don't know where to start?If you don't know where to start and feel like you're backed into a corner then maybe this is your solution to the problem.Let me introduce you to the top-to-bottom-strategy.

Feng Shui Tips For Your Home Office
Did you know that over 50% of women now run their own home business or work from home? Get your compass out and find the following directions because we are going to try and make things run a little smoother for you using the ancient art of object placement - Feng Shui.The most ideal locations to situate a home office, in order of best to second, third ad fourth best are the North (the Career Sector), the Southwest (the Wealth sector), the Northeast (Skills and Talents sector) or the South (the fame and recognition sector.

5 Window Treatment Ideas To Improve Your Home
Coming up with interesting window treatment ideas that bring out the best in your windows as they bring in the sunshine, is a challenge to anyone with a yen to decorate. There are tons of non-traditional options and tips to make the most of what you have, and give your windows that million dollar look on a mostly discount budget.